It’s a nuisance to try on clothes multiple times without any intention of making a decision. Isn’t it disruptive to sales? A friend told me this. Do you think so?

2023.11.10 published

A Question from a Bride

A message like this arrived in the DMs of marry's Instagram.

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I am planning to have my wedding next year.

I am currently selecting my dress, and I am so happy to be able to try on all the cute dresses; the fitting time is blissful.

Honestly, I have my "favorite" dress in mind, but I find myself wanting to try on even those dresses that I think I wouldn't choose, just for memories. I shared this feeling with my friends, saying "I want to keep choosing dresses forever!" and they replied,

"Huh... isn't that a bother? The store is running a business. They probably think, 'Here we go again' about the staff. Because there are people who do unnecessary fittings, the prices are likely set higher," and I was shocked.

I thought I was just enjoying the process of choosing dresses, but was I a bothersome customer...?

I posted a story to ask my followers for their thoughts.

Many brides and shop staff responded, so I’ll introduce them all randomly.

Response 1

I had a hard time deciding on a dress

I was certainly worried that I might be a bother, so I told the staff, "I'm sorry for asking so many things and still not deciding," and they said,

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event, so let's find the best version of yourself until you are satisfied!"

It might depend on the staff, but since it's a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, I don't think trying on various dresses is a bad thing. 😊

If you are particularly concerned about the shop’s feelings, pretending to be indecisive might be the best way! Haha.

It might indeed be annoying if you're trying on many dresses after saying you've already decided!

Response 2

It depends on how many dresses you try, but from the store's perspective, it can be a bother. Haha.

However, I understand your feelings, and I think you probably shouldn’t worry too much. You might find an unexpected favorite!

But once you find your favorite, it might be best to stop trying on. I think you might also be indecisive about accessories...

Response 3

Even if you think you wouldn’t choose a certain dress, trying it on might surprise you! So, as long as you have time, I think you should try on as many as you can. 😌

Response 4

I was in a similar situation to the bride.

Dresses worth several hundreds of thousands of yen may never be worn again, and I thought it was a privilege of the bride to try on as many as possible.

Even if it's just a "memorial fitting", you never know, maybe that "memorial" dress could be your favorite!

Response 5

I really understand how you feel~!

However, you know that they might think, "Here we go again," when you make a reservation, right? I think it’s best to be mindful of the fact that the reservation slots are limited so, if you already have a favorite, it could be bothersome to keep showing up repeatedly. I personally found it difficult to make fitting reservations at times, so I think a spirit of sharing might be necessary...

Response 6

Trying on dresses you don't intend to wear could raise your desire for your favorite dress, and on the other hand, I think if you firmly decide on one, you won’t want to try others.

The store is a business, and as long as your fittings are within reasonable limits, it should be okay.

Response 7

I was told by the staff, "Go ahead and try on a bunch!" 🤣

Take photos, even if you can't wear the expensive ones on the day; they will still become memories! 🤩

I appreciated their words and tried on several dresses! Even now, I look back at the photos and remember how cute that dress was. 🥰 It might depend on the atmosphere of the staff and the venue!

Response 8

I work as a dress coordinator.

Of course, I’ll support brides until they are satisfied with their fittings, but if someone wants to try on many dresses without the intention to decide, it takes time away from the staff and could prevent other customers from fitting. Unfortunately, there are also costs involved.

Response 9

I understand that choosing a dress is a lot of fun, but because dress shops are hard to book, I think they should prioritize supporting those who are truly close to their wedding dates.

So I think one should refrain from making reservations at dress shops if they have no intention of wearing the dress at the event… I’m finding it hard to book fittings myself with not much time left until the wedding... 😭

It’s complicated to think that there are people like this.

Response 10

I used to be a dress coordinator! 👗

Honestly, it depends on the dress coordinator! 🥺

If they are extremely busy with back-to-back appointments, they might not appreciate having you come in to try on a dress when you have already selected one...💦

However, if there is flexibility in appointment times and the dress coordinator can accommodate your requests, I think it should be fine. 💭

Just generally, there are limits on the number of dresses that can be fitted within the reservation time.

Within that time, if you try on the decided number of dresses while still feeling undecided, I believe you should be fine. 🤍

For me, if it leads to sales and brings happiness to my clients, I’d say, try on as many as you want! 😂🤍

By the way, your friend mentioned that unnecessary fittings raise prices, but that is not true!! Haha

It doesn't increase prices for that reason. 😂

Response 11

I can understand how you feel, but I feel like "for memories" isn’t a very good reason...

The staff is helping brides choose the most beautiful dresses; if you wear dresses without any intention to select, I think if I were in the staff's position, I'd feel like...😭

Response 12

The stores will still treat you nicely as customers, but I think they can tell if you just want to wear them for memories... (like if the types of dresses you try on are very mixed and depends on how you react at that moment).

You are not committing a crime, so it’s not that you shouldn’t do it, but to be honest, I would think of you as a difficult customer.

Especially on weekends, fittings are incredibly hard to secure, so I wish brides who are truly interested in trying on dresses would get priority as well.

However, this is a matter of personal morals, so I think the situation is complex and there’s no right or wrong.

Response 13

When speaking about situations like this, you often hear, "The staff is cheering for you to find the dress of your fate!" However, I think that’s just a sales pitch.

Or, while some staff truly believe this, they might also feel pressured by their managers to “close the deal in one more fitting,” creating a stressful environment on that end.

From a logical standpoint, spending time trying on dresses that don't lead to sales is disadvantageous for the shop. I hope this perspective is also kept in mind...

Although it's often heard on social media, "Even if I didn’t make a decision, I still loved that dress," as the provider, it’s not an encouraging phrase.

Response 14

I was told, "If you don't decide quickly, you might miss out on good dresses!" so I only tried on 4 dresses and made my selection, but my sister tried on 12 dresses over two days and had them played in the end credits of the video, which made me envious✨️

Since it’s something you only wear once in a lifetime, I think you should try on as many as you want! 👍🏻 ̖́-‬

I believe the shop usually reserves slots for an hour or so. ☺️

Response 15

I used to work at a dress shop.

I understand that if the bride wants to make a reservation for try-ons, we cannot refuse, but to be honest, I would appreciate it if those who have already chosen their preferred dresses refrained from coming back for fittings.

As your friend mentioned, we are also running a business, so I would prefer to spend time assisting those who are genuinely looking to make a decision, rather than those who just want to try dresses repeatedly.

(It might ruin a dream, but new clients directly contribute to sales 💦)

I noticed that brides who try on a lot stand out (you can clearly see some are coming more frequently than usual), and we often discuss, "This person came again—".

However, since we can't directly say "Please don’t come back", we still treat clients carefully and kindly, but I personally feel it would be nice if brides could confirm their dresses sooner...

Having been a bride myself, I understand the fun of trying on dresses, but once you’ve chosen your favorite, I believe it’s better to move forward with other preparations for the wedding.

After all, dress selection is not the only aspect of wedding planning...💦

I thought I was well-prepared, but it turned out to be a last-minute rush...💦

Response 16

Isn’t it like tasting samples at a supermarket?

If there’s someone who tastes the same items repeatedly without the intention to buy, you might think it’s a bit cheap or rude...

For the store, idle curiosity is a bother.

Response 17

If there’s even a small chance that a dress could be your "dream dress" or if you're afraid you might regret not trying one on, then I think it’s fine to go for fittings!

I thought I wouldn't choose a certain dress beforehand, but trying it on surprisingly felt right.

However, if a dress is completely out of your budget or if you’re just trying it "for memories," repeat fittings might burden the dress shop.

The dress shop I rented my dress from had a lot of customers who tried on dresses just for fun, but very few ended up actually making a contract… So I have mixed feelings. Haha.

Response 18

I don't know what kind of venue your friend had their wedding at, but did anyone make a face during dress fittings?

At a proper hotel or prestigious venue, that shouldn't happen, I think.

I’m also getting married next month.

I struggled with choosing a dress, and I ended up having a couple of extra fittings than planned.

I wore many that caught my attention.

Yet when the time was nearing its end, I thought, "This might be my last fitting..." only to find out that there were no bookings afterward, and I was told to take my time and enjoy! 🩷

(I ended up going about 3 hours over my scheduled time.🤣)

I believe that if they thought it was a nuisance, they wouldn’t make such statements.

Everyone is trying their best as professionals to ensure the wedding is a fantastic event.

It saddens me to hear statements that deny those who genuinely want to help brides succeed.

Response 19

I tried on approximately 120 dresses combining wedding and colored dresses. With a year until the ceremony, I was strategically preparing and ended up visiting about 20 shops due to my interest.

The shop where I decided on my wedding dress said, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, try on as many as you want, take photos, and it’s okay if you don’t choose ours—just enjoy!” They offered their full support, and the shop where I chose the colored dress allowed me to try new arrivals even after I had already made my choice.

While I do feel bad for the shops I didn't choose, posting gorgeous dresses on Instagram and review sites probably serves as some advertisement, and I also recommended it to a friend who was likely to look fabulous in it.

Additionally, the designer of a stunning dress that I didn't purchase also created jewelry, so I bought that last year. I think contributing to the industry and shops in different ways is beneficial.

Although this became quite lengthy, I truly believe that hastily deciding on such an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime purchase is a disservice to your marriage partner, guests, and those who made the gown.

I believe the person seeking advice and her friend can both make their decisions in ways that satisfy them, and that will ultimately lead to happiness. Congratulations! ❣️

I had limitations on how many dresses I could try on. It was a fun time, but there was someone else with me, so there wasn’t a rush. However, thinking of it from the other side, it feels like it might be bothersome to wear all the dresses if I were the one waiting...

Response 20

I completely understand your excitement about wearing cute dresses!

I also did numerous trial fittings. Haha.

In the end, both my wedding dress and colored dress came from fittings I thought were just for memories.

So I think whether a fitting is "unnecessary" can’t be known unless you try it on!

Because they’re expensive, I recommend trying on lots of different options to avoid regrets!!

By the way, the shop from which I borrowed dresses had fitting fees, but rental fees were lower.

Since pricing and fitting limits are decided by the shops, I believe brides (the clients) shouldn't feel bothered or concerned about that!

Response 21

I used to work in a dress salon.

Your friend was very honest to say that! Haha

While I understand the desire to wear dresses for memories, if someone really has their wedding dress already picked out, I would appreciate if they refrained from trying on more fittings...

Nowadays, due to the prevalence of social media, I sometimes think, “Oh, they’re just trying these on for Instagram.”

Responses 22-128

[Various responses continue with different experiences and perspectives on the issue.]

I believe the essence is to find a balance where everyone can enjoy the process, but the level of "moderation" can differ from person to person. For those who responded with "I think it's totally fine to wear as many as you want!"—their image of what "any number" means might actually be around 5 dresses... (which seems quite low).

Recently, it seems quite hard to secure appointments with dress salons, and I heard that when attempting to make an initial appointment, it could take three months or even half a year for some places...

Given such circumstances, it may be helpful to employ rules to resolve these concerns, akin to a café implementing a 90-minute service during peak hours.

Speaking of which, I'd like to promote marry's line service, the “Dress Concierge,” that offers great deals for bridal dress searches and allows you to consult about your preferred dresses. If you're looking for a dress, be sure to check it out!

➡ For adding Dress Concierge as a friend, click here.